Today would mark the first day of June, 13 Years After Naruto's Birth.
The clouds around Kumogakure were a dark grey, with lightning flickering against the backdrop of twilight. A young child with long silver hair, silver eyes, and a complexion paler than the moon, leaned against the railings of a precarious walkway.
The winds brought by the brewing storm caressed his cheek, and the golden tips of his hair danced about.
Though eye-catching, there weren't many who took note of his presence.
No one even thought he was a shinobi — the chakra emitted by his body was as faint as any civilian would have.
Perhaps the only abnormal thing about this child was his unblinking gaze.
...And the soft smile on his face.
"Heh,"
Unbeknownst to these bystanders and passersby, the child had directed his curiosity at the tallest mountain in the village — where the Raikage stayed. His gaze would shift occasionally as if tracking a tiny dot in the distance.
"How intriguing,"
Suguru's soft smile rapidly turned into an excited grin. Infiltrating Kumogakure was a good choice. After all, it was a military and economic gold mine — a place very different from the barren Sunagakure.
When he first entered Kumogakure's surveillance range, he felt a chill run through his bones. Multiple layers of defense crafted from complex seal formations filled his mind with information.
'Especially this damn Sensing Barrier...'
Suguru cursed the formation that was in place — if he had made a mistake with his Chakra Field Hacking, there was a high likelihood that Fuinjutsu seals would have emerged from out of thin air. Like snakes coiling around their targets, he would be engulfed in their shackles.
Then, after being bound without even being allowed to blink, he would be captured and interrogated.
What was worse was that Suguru had no choice but to suppress his chakra on top of hacking into the surrounding chakra fields.
After all — he had not completely deceived the Sensing Barrier itself.
'I've only been allowed inside because it cannot perceive the true level of my strength.'
Right now, Suguru donned a new identity. He was the younger brother of a merchant wanting to make it rich in Kumogakure's booming economy. Using this, he was able to walk straight through Kumogakure's checks and appear in broad daylight.
However, he had to act the part of being a civilian who only wished to accompany his brother on his business ventures.
Thus, he couldn't help but glance to his right, where a certain face was scrunched up in thought. Although it was his own clone, using the Transformation Jutsu, Suguru had once more altered his height and face.
Sharp, cunning, and bearing an unscrupulous air. With his hair no longer tied up using a simple ribbon and instead braided like that of a maiden's, Amai's presence spoke of his sophistication.
Something that wasn't seen often in the world.
Furthermore, given the scrolls that he hung on his body, and the especially large one that he had slung to his back, it seemed that he even trained his chakra.
Although not to the level of a shinobi, it was clear that he had at least basic knowledge of Fuinjutsu.
In fact, it was clear that the gazes that had fallen on Suguru had all been caught by Amai first before settling on himself.
'Well, it's the only sensible explanation for the items Amai will be selling from now on.'
Suguru had already received permission to sell his wares. Unlike in Sunagakure, where he first had to lay out a blanket to display his wares, he now had a better start.
His capital was sufficient for this level of comfort.
Most importantly — Kumogakure was a lot stricter. They even inspected all of his products before allowing him in. From the quality of his items to the quantity, they wanted to be sure of who he was and what he was capable.
Only when they completed their rigorous quality checks — which involved a small price with regards to them actually testing out his Explosive Tags — had they allowed Amai into Kumogakure's mountainous paths.
At that time, his clone could only smile and shake his head.
"As expected of Kumo,"
Which subsequently earned a chuckle from the Kumo-nin in charge of him.
"Owning a brittle blade is as good as throwing your life away." Such was the Kumo-nin's reply.
"I understand," Amai nodded, his eyes seemingly looking into the knowledge hidden between those words.
***
Suguru, who had a little bit of free time on his hands as Amai began setting up his shop, roamed around the village.
The scenery was precarious and grand — a combination that filled his senses with liberation.
Compared to Konohagakure's peaceful, looming tension, Kumogakure made his heart drop whenever he looked over the railings.
Especially since he was incapable of flight, looking down always came with whispers.
Jump.
It seemed to say.
Suguru shivered. "The call of the void..."
Shaking his head to rid himself of such temptations, Suguru looked onwards, as if in search of a certain someone.
'Now that I'm here, I should pay Matatabi and Gyuuki a visit.'
Although he had been on the same battlefield as Yugito, Suguru knew that meeting the Nibi at that time wouldn't have been advisable. After all, it necessitated a certain amount of focus — the subconscious was quite deep within the psyche.
Had he done so, he might've disrupted Yugito's focus, and doing so would have been detrimental to both of them due to Danzo's presence.
Suguru was still unsure as to how the jinchuriki would react to his visit. When he visited Shukaku and Kurama, their corresponding jinchuriki hadn't been in the best of mental states. Furthermore, they were not in complete control of their Tailed Beast.
In comparison, Yugito and Killer Bee were each a perfect jinchuriki already. If Yugito wasn't perfect, then she wasn't far off.
Thus, Suguru had wanted to exercise a little more caution.
"So... who should I visit first?"
Suguru felt more inclined to meet Yugito and Matatabi instead of Bee... However, if he could meet Gyuuki alone then that would be fine too.
It was likely that Suguru would find Killer Bee to be a bit... much, especially given his own introverted nature.
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